


Let No Man Tear Asunder

by Avocados-in-Love (Zorro_sci)



Category: Daredevil (Netflix)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Omegaverse, eventual happy ending ending, we always hurt the ones we love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-11 16:59:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7900654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorro_sci/pseuds/Avocados-in-Love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The bond between alpha and omega was not to be taken lightly.  It was a lifelong union.  A sacred committment; built on love, mutual respect, trust and honesty.  That was what Matt had been taught growing up, and he believed it with every part of him.  But does he have what it takes to keep his bond from crumbling?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love, Respect, Trust and 95% Honesty

**Author's Note:**

> When this is completed it will fill the "consecrated" square on my Daredevil Bingo card.

The bond between alpha and omega was not to be taken lightly. It was a lifelong union. A sacred committment; built on love, mutual respect, trust and honesty. That was what Matt had been taught growing up, and he believed it with every part of him. It was the reason why, he couldn't help but feel guilt gnawing away at his happiness as he held his newly-bonded mate.

It wasn't that he didn't love Foggy. He did. He loved him more than he ever thought it was possible to love another person, and a little more each passing day. Foggy's joy was his joy, and Foggy's pain was his pain, (and oh, what he would do to prevent him from ever having to feel pain, if such a thing were possible). He would lay down his life for the omega without a second thought; no, loving Foggy was not the problem.

Respecting Foggy wasn't an issue either. His mate was smart and determined. He had a charming awkwardness about him, and an open and friendly demeanor that could break through almost anyone's defenses. He might sometimes bend the rules almost to the breaking point, but he had a strong moral compass and a heart of gold. Matt trusted his judgment, and valued his opinions; even if he sometimes forgot to consult him before making a decision, (he was used to being alone; mutual decision-making was new to him).

Furthermore, Matt trusted him with everything. With his hopes and dreams, and the practice they would open with each other someday. With the little money and worldly possessions they had to their names. With his life, and with his heart. The only thing he hadn't fully entrusted to Foggy, was anything related to his heightened senses.

That was where Matt fell short: honesty. It wasn't that he didn't trust Foggy. He didn't think the omega would tell the world his secret, or use his senses against him, but he was afraid. The deep-set fear that anyone who knew he was different, (a freak Stick had said), would leave was unshakeable, and he couldn't lose Foggy. 

Foggy had taken the crumbled, wounded, angry mass that was his heart, and taught him how to love. He had been a friend to Matt when he had no one, and then he had become so much more. He was Matt's entire world, and without him, Matt would be lost. He couldn't risk that, so he held back one little (huge) thing. 

It wasn't such a big deal right? They had love, mutual respect, trust, and 95% honesty. Surely that was enough.


	2. Love, Respect, Trust and Dishonesty

Matt and Foggy were happy, even though they both hated their internship at Landman & Zach. They might have to work in a glorified broom closet for cut-throat attorneys who only cared about money, but they had each other. They always knew how to cheer the other one up when work weighted them down, and every night they got to go home together and fall asleep in each other's arms, (or sometimes go to bed to do something other than sleeping). 

They were comfortable in their routine together, and so in love that it was easy for Matt to forget that he was only being 95% honest. That is, until it became clear, that 95% wasn't enough. 

It wasn't enough, because Matt started hearing the little girl down the street crying. Every night, he could hear her suffering, and it tore at his heart. The knowledge left him sleepless and emotionally spent, but when Foggy asked him what was wrong, he couldn't tell him. He could never explain that he was hearing her father's attacks and her tears from a block away, without letting Foggy know he was a freak. So he lied.

He told Foggy he was just worried about an upcoming case, or a report he needed to write, or whatever other excuse he could think of to explain his sleeplessness. He lied, and he lied, and he took things into his own hands.

First he called Child Protective Services, but apparently an anonymous call about crying and possible abuse didn't carry much weight when there were no marks on the child, and the other parent refused to believe such a thing could be happening. (After his unsuccessful attempt, he wondered if Foggy could have helped. It seemed like his omega had connections everywhere. Maybe if he knew someone at CPS, they would have taken a complaint from someone they knew more seriously.)

When that didn't work, he didn't know what to do. An innocent little girl was still hurting, and no one was helping her. Where was justice for her?

The system couldn't provide it, so Matt did. 

He waited until Foggy was asleep, (the omega could sleep through anything), and then crawled out of bed. He followed the scumbag from down the street, and when he was alone, he attacked. He used the anger that was always just below the surface to drive his point home, and make sure the man never touched his daughter ever again.

Feeling accomplished, he stopped by the local bodega to clean up a little in their bathroom, and pick up milk and bread so he would have an excuse for where he had been. Then, groceries in hand, he made his way home.

Unsurprisingly, Foggy was still asleep, so Matt was able to crawl back into bed next to him without waking him. It looked like Foggy would never be the wiser about what he had done. Which was good, because Foggy would have never approved of what Matt did, but also terrible, because it was one more lie that further offset the scale of honesty in their relationship.

That scale unbalanced even further when Foggy asked about his split lip and bruised cheek the next morning. He claimed that he couldn't sleep, so he decided to run to the bodega for bread and milk, but he must have been more tired than he thought, because he missed a step and fell down the last few stairs on his way out.

Foggy fussed over him, and told him not to go out the next time he was so tired. He bought his lie completely, and Matt was relieved. Yet he couldn't stop the guilty reminder in the back of his mind.

The bond between alpha and omega was not to be taken lightly. It was a lifelong union. A sacred commitment; built on love, mutual respect, trust and honesty . . .and Matt was becoming less and less honest by the day.


	3. Love, Respect, Suspicions and Dishonesty

The number of lies he told, and things he hid from Foggy, grew exponentially. He snuck out several nights a week; always waiting until Foggy was asleep. He purposefully became more clumsy; tripping over things and walking into door and walls. He kept his body as covered as possible around Foggy whenever he knew he had scrapes, or cuts, or bruises, (which was more and more often). And his dishonesty had a terrible price.

The first thing that happened, was Foggy got worried. He asked incessantly if Matt was having dizzy spells, or spontaneous loss of balance, or anything that could explain his sudden increase in clumsiness. He seemed on the verge of marching Matt to a doctor, but he accepted his excuses about just being distracted by the burdens of starting a new practice, and not paying enough attention.

Unfortunately, his solution to that problem was to try to help Matt relax with offers of alcohol, massages, and sex. All of which Matt refused. He couldn't drink before going out to fight crime, it would slow his reflexes. He also didn't want Foggy to accidentally aggravate his injuries, (and being covered in bruises seemed to be his new norm). Nor was he willing to let Foggy see all of his bruises, so sex was out.

Worse yet, when he denied Foggy's advances, his mate seemed to come to a very wrong conclusion. He started eating protein bars for breakfast, and salads for lunch. He skipped dessert, and stopped drinking beer altogether.

Matt hated it. He loved Foggy the way he was. 

"Foggy, do you want to get Chinese for lunch today?" 

"No thanks, Matt. I brought a salad with me."

"Yeah, I noticed. You've been eating a lot of salad lately. Any reason for that?"

"I figured I should be eating healthier."

"There's nothing wrong with eating healthier, but you don't need to deny yourself _all_ the time. It's been almost two weeks since you've eaten takeout, or had dessert, or drank a beer. I don't think you've even eaten a single muffin or bagel. Those are you favorites, Foggy."

"And they're all really fattening. It wouldn't hurt me to lose a few pounds."

"If that's what you want, but I think you're perfect the way you are."

"Which is why you won't touch me anymore," Foggy murmured so quietly that Matt wouldn't have been able to hear him without his enhanced hearing.

The words were like a stab to Matt's heart. Foggy thought he didn't want him. He thought he was undesirable to Matt, and that was so wrong.

Matt tried to fix the situation by being more demonstrative with his affections. He cuddled Foggy on the couch any opportunity he got. He made sure he frequently told Foggy how much he loved him. He became more attentive, and occasionally left Foggy little tokens of his affection, (they had no money, so they were things like love notes on post-its, origami flowers made from scrap paper, and bracelets made from chopstick wrappers, but he was pretty sure Foggy was the the type who put more value in the thought behind a gift than its monetary value).

His plan backfired.

Proof came the morning after Karen and Foggy spent a night bar-hopping together. She waited until Foggy went down to the police station to get some files from Brett, and then she cornered Matt.

"Look, I know your relationship with Foggy really isn't my business, but I need to say something. I'm worried about Foggy.

He's seems depressed lately. He's drinking more, and he went from dieting to stashing bags of Cheetos and chocolate bars in his desk."

Matt furrowed his brows. He knew Foggy had stopped dieting, but he hadn't realized just how much his junk food intake had increased before that moment, and he certainly hadn't attributed it to Foggy being depressed.

"What does that have to do with my relationship with Foggy?"

"Foggy thinks you're having an affair."

"What?!? He said that?!"

"To be fair, he'd already drank one eel and was starting on his second when he said it, but I don't think it was a new, drunken thought. I think the alcohol just loosened his tongue enough that he finally said what's been bothering him.

He cried, Matt. A lot. Especially after he tried to call you, and you didn't pick up.

He started ranting about how you didn't come home some nights, and how he had smelled the scent of an unfamiliar omega on you one morning. He talked about 'pity gifts' and 'guilt cuddles.' Then, he said it was inevitable, because he wasn't good enough for you, and you must have finally realized it. And he got so distressed that Josie threw us out. She said his scent was making the alpha patrons uneasy."

Matt sucked in a deep, painful breath. 

"Thank you for telling me, Karen."

"And Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that this is all some big misunderstanding, but if it's not . . . You're going to regret hurting Foggy like that."

"Understood."

Karen's words hurt to hear, but he did understand. He understood exactly what was going on: The bond between alpha and omega was not to be taken lightly. It was a lifelong union. A sacred committment; built on love, mutual respect, trust and honesty, but dishonesty had taken its root in his relationship with Foggy, and the trust between them was unraveling because of it.


	4. Love, Respect? Mistrust and Confessed Dishonesty  a.k.a. A Crumbling Bond

The trust between Matt and Foggy didn't so much unravel as it cracked when Matt didn't make it to the hospital after Foggy was wounded in the bombing. (Originally Foggy had been worried that Matt wasn't answering his phone because he had been hurt, maybe even knocked unconscious. However, when he returned home to find Matt intact, he had to wonder what was so important that Matt ignored dozens of calls and voicemails). Then it broke clean in two before it shattered, when Matt stumbled home after his fight with Nobu.

"Well, I guess you weren't having an affair. Unless your hot nurse friend was doing more than just patching you up."

"I'm not having an affair. . . . You know I adore you! I love you so much; you're the only one I want. You have to know that!"

"I don't know anything about you! I thought I knew you, but apparently you're some sort of ninja that spends his nights flipping off buildings, beating up criminals, and then being patched up by hot nurses. That's a far cry from the man who's been running into doors and tables. 

I'm beginning to wonder if you're even blind, so how can I be sure about anything you've told me? Much less that you love me, when apparently you've been leading a double life this whole time. 

I essentially know nothing about the alpha I've tied myself to for the rest of my life."

Foggy's words cut deep, far deeper than his physical wounds, and as their conversation continued, it only got worse. 

Matt's only defense was the truth, and that only revealed how dishonest he had been. It only brought to light that he had been hiding things since the beginning, and how many times he had lied. He laid everything out bare, but there was no relief in honesty.

Instead, there was only heartbreak. It wove its way through the squeezed, painful melody of Foggy's heartbeat, and choked him as the reek of his omega's distress filled the apartment. It drowned him, as Foggy's tears came almost ceaselessly. Foggy was beside himself with sorrow, barely containing his broken whimpers and sobs, and it was Matt's fault.

Despite his injuries, he tried to lever himself to his feet so he could go comfort his distraught mate. He barely made it to a sitting position, before Foggy gently pushed him back down onto the couch. He tried again, and was met with similar results.

"You're hurt. You almost died. You need to rest," Foggy chided softly, an edge cutting through his gentle tone.

"I don't care. You're upset. I should be taking care of you. I could . . . ."

"You could lie down and rest, because you might not care that you almost died, but I do! I _very much_ care that you almost died! I love you, and I don't want to lose you!

I'm very angry at you right now, and I probably will be for a while, but that doesn't mean that I don't care, or that I like seeing you hurt. In fact, I hate it. I just want you to be _safe_."

"I'm going to be okay, Foggy. You won't lose me . . . And next time I'll be much more careful."

"Next time?!?"

"Fisk is still out there, and he isn't going to stop. He's going to keep hurting people. I can't let him do that. I have to stop him."

"You're going to get yourself killed doing this."

"Maybe. That's a risk I'll have to take, but it's worth it to keep the city safe."

"What if it's not worth it to me? You've made this huge decision that impacts both our lives, but did you ever think about how it effects me?

We're bonded. I'm your mate. Apparently that means enough to you that you almost tore out your stitches in some misguided attempt to 'take care of me,' but not enough that you're worried about the fact that if you get killed, there's a fifty percent chance it will kill me too.

You do remember I'm an omega, right? When an omega suddenly has the bond with their alpha broken, i.e. if said alpha rejects and abandons them or is violently killed, the omega goes into shock. That shock is so severe, that half of all omegas who experience it don't survive. And those who do survive a bond-break, may never fully recover their health.

Did you ever even consider that before you took up your nighttime hobby? Or stop to think that you should at least ask me my opinion before you ran out and put both of our lives in danger?"

Matt's stomach twisted. He hadn't thought of that, and he was rendered speechless by the horrible possible outcome he had somehow managed to overlook.

"Or maybe you'll just get arrested," Foggy continued. "I say 'just' because at least you'd still be alive, but it would still be a disaster. 

You'd end up in prison, and I'd hardly ever see you. Unless of course they send me to jail too. 

I mean, if they arrest you, do you really think that they're going to believe your bondmate didn't know what was happening? I'd be lucky if they didn't charge me with accessory, and it would take a miracle for me not to be disbarred."

"What do you think will happen if I stop now? Do you think Fisk will leave us alone? Our firm got in his way. 

Like I said, he's not going to stop. He's going to keep taking out anyone who gets in his way, and innocent people like Elena are going to die. Unless someone stops him. I have to bring him down.

I can't just turn away when injustice is being done, Foggy. I just can't. That's why I have to be the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. I can't stop, and I don't want to."

Foggy fell into stunned silence. Matt felt his stare on him, and thought back to the unforeseen consequence his actions could have.

" . . .but you're right, I didn't ask your opinion, so if you're uncomfortable with my choice, we can made an appointment to have our bond dissolved. Then it won't have to be your problem anymore."

A rush of air accompanied Foggy's hasty retreat to the door. His footsteps stormed down the entryway hallway, but stopped just short of the door.

"You know, I was feeling sorry for myself because you hid this huge part of yourself from me, and then you lied, so despite how long we've know each other, I never really knew you. At least not fully. And that seemed really unfair, because I told you everything, and you knew me completely. But it turns out, you don't know me . . . .at all."

"Foggy," Matt pleaded, but the only answer he got was the slamming of the door.

Foggy didn't come back that night. He didn't answer his phone, or respond to texts. Karen hadn't seen him, and Matt didn't think he could call Foggy's parents without worrying them.

Worried, and still reeling from their earlier argument, Matt collapsed on their bed and cried. All while familiar words came back to haunt him.

The bond between alpha and omega was not to be taken lightly. It was a lifelong union. A sacred committment; built on love, mutual respect, trust and honesty.

That was why his bond was in peril. He had been dishonest. He had taken advantage of Foggy's trust and not only had he lost it, but whatever respect the omega had once had for him was crumbling down around them. Matt only hoped that Foggy's love for him wouldn't fade as easily, though he knew such a hope was selfish.


	5. Honesty

Foggy came to work the next day, the same as always, but he smelled wrong. He reeked of the stench of another alpha, and expensive perfume, and . . .oh! Marci. Foggy had spent the night in Marci's apartment. Matt could smell that they hadn't had sex, but the mere thought of his omega in Marci's territory made him growl low in his chest.

"Why do you smell like Marci?" he demanded from behind gritted teeth, another growl accompanying the question.

"You seem awfully possessive for an alpha who wants to break his bond with me," Foggy observed with faux-nonchalance. 

"I don't want to break our bond!"

"Really? Because I'm not the one who suggested making an appointment to have our bond medically dissolved."

"I only said that because I thought that's what you wanted!"

"What?!? I didn't want to break our bond."

"Then why . . .wait . . . 'didn't', as in, past tense. . . .Foggy, do you want to dissolve our bond now?"

"I don't know. I need time to think.

In answer to your earlier question, I smell like Marci, because I slept on her couch last night. I also plan to sleep on her couch tonight, and for the foreseeable future, until I know what I want to do."

"So you're going to stay with another alpha while you think? An alpha who happens to be your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yes. Is that going to be a problem?"

"Couldn't you stay somewhere else?"

"No. It's not like I have anywhere else to stay. My parents don't don't live in the city anymore. Bess' daughter is in town, so her sofa is already spoken for. We're broke, so I can't afford a hotel. There aren't a lot of options. Short of sleeping at the office, I have no other choice."

"You could stay with Karen."

"As thrilled as I'm sure she would be that you volunteered her to take me in, her apartment is the size of a shoebox, and I couldn't impose on her. Marci has plenty of space, and she said I could stay as long as I needed."

"I bet she did."

"What does that mean? Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you. I just don't trust her."

"I know you and Marci never got along, but unless you think she would force an unwilling omega, which I'm pretty sure you don't, there should be no problem. As long as you trust me, that is."

"I still don't like it."

"Well if one of us not liking what the other was doing meant it didn't happen, I would have no reason to be staying at Marci's."

Matt snapped his mouth shut, knowing there was nothing he could say that wouldn't make things worse. He retreated to his office, and got on with his work, (or at least tried), trying to ignore everything around him.

"Matt," Karen's voice called from the door to his office. 

He lifted his head and turned it in her direction.

"All this tension between you and Foggy; you didn't cheat on him did you?"

"No. But I did lie to him."

"I'm assuming you're not talking about some little lie, like saying you took out the garbage when you didn't, or telling him you liked the smell of his new shampoo when you secretly hated it."

"No. It was a little bigger than that."

"Well, it's none of my business, except I'm pretty sure you could consider the office a hostile workplace right now; but from what I can see, unless you want to lose Foggy, and this practice, you need to fix this."

Matt muttered his assent, but internally he despaired. That was the problem. He didn't know how to fix this. He didn't even know where to start. But Karen was right, he needed to find a way.

The rest of the week was filled with stilted conversations, awkward, loaded silence, and both Matt and Foggy keeping to their offices as much as possible. They could hardly talk about lunch plans without arguing, so talking about anything more serious seemed like a lost cause.

It was all very frustrating, so Matt retreated to Fogwell's after work to vent some of his frustration. 

It felt good to let loose some punches, but it didn't bring him any closer to solving his problem. He still had no idea how to even broach the subject of their argument, and the resulting fallout, with Foggy. 

Thankfully, he didn't need to, because Foggy made the first move.

"How did you find me?" Matt asked when he heard Foggy walk into the gym.

"It wasn't hard. I've know about this place for awhile, but I thought it had to do with you wanting to feel close to your dad, so I didn't say anything. I guess I know better now."

"Have you made a decision?"

"It depends. Why did you suggest dissolving our bond?"

"You pointed out that if I died, you might die too. I hadn't thought about that before I put on the mask. I hadn't even considered the possibility, and it didn't seem right to force you to risk your life just because I decided to risk mine, so I offered you a way to keep yourself safe."

"Is that really the only reason? You didn't say it because you were having second thoughts about us? Or because you think I'm holding you back?"

"Foggy, I love you, and I consider myself lucky to be bonded with you. There's no one else I would rather be with, and I would never want to sever our bond. I realize that's selfish of me given the circumstances, so I would consent to a bond dissolution, but I would never _want_ it."

"Really?"

"Yes. Foggy, you're the best part of me. Why would I want to let you go?"

"Matt, I love you too, and I don't want to break our bond.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still really hurt by what happened. I know it wasn't your intention, but you had me questioning if you cared about me at all. You seemed to lose all interest in me, you disappeared without explanation multiple times, and you weren't there when I needed you."

"I'm so sorry, Foggy. That was never my intention."

"I'm still a little angry too. Both because you lied to me and manipulated me, and because you made unilateral decisions that affected both of our lives without ever talking to me. Furthermore, I think it's fair that I'm still hurt and angry . . . . But, I think we can work this out, and I would rather try to fix this with you, than live without you."

"Are you sure?

I'm not going to stop being the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. I can't. I need to fight against the injustices the system can't or won't take care of. I can't turn the other way.

That means I'll almost certainly get hurt, and might get killed.

That's my choice, but you shouldn't have to deal with the consequences of my actions if you don't want to."

"There's no way I wouldn't have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Not anymore. That ship sailed years ago. Whether or not we're bonded, that doesn't change.

Either way, I'm going to worry about you every time you go out, because I know you're in danger. Either way, I'm going to hate it when you get hurt . . . and I'm going to take First Aid classes so I can help. I hate feeling helpless when you're hurting. . . Most importantly, either way, it's going to break me if this kills you. The only difference is, if we break our bond, I'm almost guaranteed to live with the crushing pain your loss would cause me, and I'm not sure that's the better option."

"Foggy . . ."

"My point is, you've made your choice, and like it or not it's going to affect both of us. There's nothing that can be done to change that, so we both need to accept it.

I don't really understand all of why you need to do this, but I understand you need it, and I love you, so I'll work to accept it.

All I would ask from you in return, is that you're honest with me. Even about the things you think I don't want to hear. 

I think I'm entitled to know what's going on, and if we're ever going to stand a chance, we need to communicate and be honest with one another."

"I'll try. I promise, I'll give being honest my best effort."

"Good. Then I think I'd like to go home."

The bond between alpha and omega was not to be taken lightly. It was fragile and breakable, and they had almost shattered their bond, but it looked like with honesty they might be able to begin to salvage it.


	6. Building Trust

Honesty wasn't easy. It was easier to say he was fine, than to admit that he was hurt. It was easier to keep his concerns to himself, than to burden Foggy too. It was easier to dismiss his wounds as minor, than to hear Foggy's heart race with fear when he realized just how bad they really were. It was easier, but that didn't make it right.

Dishonesty had almost torn them apart before, and Matt wouldn't let that happen again. Especially when Foggy was giving him a second chance, and he had asked for him to be honest. So he forced himself to be truthful.

Before long, when Foggy asked 'are you hurt?' he received a list of injuries instead of a 'it's not that bad.' 'Are you okay?' was answered with a more comprehensive response than 'I'm fine.' 'What's going on?' was never answered with 'nothing' anymore. Communication was open between them, and Matt found it was well worth the difficulty.

Sure, he had initially been embarrassed when Foggy fussed over every little injury. He wasn't comfortable with the attention, he had cursed the near constant presence of the First Aid kit upon his arrival home, and he had dreaded the nearly nightly sound of Foggy grabbing a bag of frozen pea from their freezer to put on whatever new bruises he had.

Then he realized, that Foggy seemed calmer and less worried when he had something to, even if was the simple act of grabbing an ice pack. Besides, the omega's fussing and care helped his more minor wounds heal more quickly, which not only made him feel better, but also decreased the number of times a relatively minor injury was aggravated into something more serious. All of which meant he was able to return to his patrols sooner after injury, and in better condition, than he had before.

He experienced a similar change of heart about sharing his worries and doubts with Foggy. At first he feared he was being a burden, and he tried to say as little as possible. However, as Foggy continued to prod when necessary, he began to share more, and as a result he found his own burden getting lighter, (but thankfully not at the expense of weighing Foggy down). Foggy didn't hold what he said against him, even if he didn't always agree, and he provided a different perspective that proved very helpful.

Furthermore, as he began to be more open with Foggy, the omega responded in kind. Foggy shared his thoughts and worries, and Matt learned new things about his mate he had never known before. He also was given the chance to be the outside perspective that Foggy needed.

Any secrets they had kept from each other, melted like snow. It wasn't a forced tell-all, just a gradual fading of the walls between them and slow revelation of things they had held back, until there were no more. Until they was only openness and the freedom that it brought.

It made Matt hopeful, because the bond between alpha and omega could be fragile and breakable, but theirs was growing stronger every day. Their honesty had built trust, and that trust was the strong foundation on which they bolstered their relationship.


	7. Respect and Love

The strengthened trust between Matt and Foggy led them to new and exciting things.

The most immediate and obvious benefit, was in the bedroom. With the improved communication between them, they were more willing to share their kinks and fantasies. The result, unsurprisingly, was a lot of amazingly mind-blowing sex. Even when things didn't go to plan, they found that even their blunders increased the intimacy between them.

They started having a weekly date night, as well. The night of the week was flexible, but they made sure to set aside at least one night a week just for them. It made sure they didn't lose touch with each other even when their lives were busy, it forced them to take a break to recharge, and it gave Foggy one night each week of guaranteed reprieve from his worry. Plus, it was enjoyable.

They learned how to disagree, and at times even argue, without letting things escalate out of hand. That's not to say, that disagreements happened less frequently between them, because that was definitely not the case. Nor was it to say, that they never played dirty in the tactics they employed while arguing. They were lawyers after all, leading questions, false equivalences, and all other manner of courtroom tactics regularly made their way into their arguments. The difference was, they made sure that they framed all of the arguments in the context of their love and trust for one another, and as a result there was never any need for one of them to storm out or spend the night anywhere but in their shared home.

Nelson & Murdock started giving free legal seminars one Saturday a month, to help make sure Hell's Kitchen residents were well informed about their rights. The seminar opened new doors for them, and drummed up new business, while also emboldening those who had been mistreated to take a stand. Whether those who decided to take action used their law firm or another, they took pride in knowing they were doing something to improve their neighborhood, and doing it _within_ the confines of the law.

Foggy attended mass with Matt, mainly because Matt asked him to, but he never thought that Foggy would continued to come to church with him regularly. Nor did he expect the question that Foggy asked him one Sunday after mass.

"Matt, were you disappointed that we didn't have our bond blessed by a priest in a bonding ceremony?"

"I guess . . . . I always thought that I would have a ceremony, but I'm not really upset that we didn't."

"Look, I know we're already bonded, and we have been for almost three years, but would you like to talk to Father Lantom about doing one now?"

"People don't general hold bonding ceremonies this far after the fact."

"I know, but we almost broke our bond a little under a year ago, I think we could use the reminder. Plus, it can't hurt to get a blessing on our union. Let's face it, with the lives we lead, we need all the divine intervention we can get."

Matt agreed, and few short weeks later, they held a small bonding ceremony in the church, with Father Lantom presiding and Foggy's immediate family and Karen in attendance as witnesses.

"Holding a bonding ceremony years after the initial bond was formed is unusual, but as a I spoke with Matthew and Franklin it became clear that they view this ceremony as a chance to renew their commitment to the bond between them. They wanted to make a promise to each other, before God, that they will honor, respect and love one another. And that on their love, honor and respect they'll build a life together as bonded pair, no longer as two separate entities, but as one unit.

We know that bonding is a blessing from God, and we re-consecrate the bond between them today. We acknowledge that they were brought together by Him, and therefore declare that what God has brought together, we should let no man put asunder.

Now, I redeclare you, Matthew Michael Murdock and Franklin Percy Nelson, bondmates for life, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

The ceremony officially marked their renewed commitment to their bond, but it was what happened later that night, that reminded Matt just what their bond meant.

The pair had celebrated their bond by slowly and passionately making love, (which sounded really cheesy, even in Matt's mind, but there was no other way to describe it). Then Foggy had pillowed his head on Matt's chest, and wrapped his arms around his middle to cling to him. In response, Matt had enveloped his omega in his arms, and the pair had drifted off to sleep.

Well, Matt drifted off to sleep, and he thought Foggy had as well, but when he woke in the middle of the night, he found he was mistaken. Instead, he was greeted with Foggy quietly murmuring something, as he pressed his face into Matt's chest.

Two small damp spots appeared on Matt's shirt beneath Foggy's face, and the faint smell of salt drifted through the air as a few stray tears fell from Foggy's eyes. Why was he crying? What was he saying?

Foggy's murmuring was so soft and muffled, that Matt needed to concentrate to hear the words, even with their close proximity. But when he finally was able to focus in on the words, he realized that they were prayers. Pleas for his safety, petitions that their time together would last for many more years, and thanks that they had been brought together. All mumbled right over his heart with such earnestness that they were accompanied by tears.

In that moment, he knew how deep the love between them ran, and that their bond was truly sacred and blessed.


End file.
